Process of producing artificial leather.



C. E. ARNOLD.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL LEATHER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a. 1914.

1 ,2'7. 7,528 Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

z vvwwweoz 3 mm whore WWW 66 w A J f6 wozmewo (Ava M my CHARLES ELWOOID ARNOLD, OF

DELAWARE.

WILMINGTON, AssIGNMENTs o E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS PROCESS OF PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL LEATHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN'E AND COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF git Patented-Sept. 3, 119118.

- Application filed September 3, 1914. Serial No. 859,964.

5 invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Producing Artificial Leather, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. a

My invention relates particularly to an improvement in the methodbf producing coated fabrics but more especially woven fabrics carrying a coating or layer. of a nitrocellulose composition.

The object of my invention is to produce a product of this kind in which the layer of composition carried by the fabric willv be very effectively and securely anchored on the fabric'and in which the coating composi- 20 tion will adhere in an effective manner to the fabric.

More specifically the object of my invention is to produce goods of the quality stated without the use of'a special cementing coat and to provide the total thickness of coating in one operation.

While my invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, for the pur:

orm thereof and have shown one form of apparatus with which my invention may be carried out, in the accompanying drawings, in which i The figure is a diagrammatic sideelevation showing an apparatus that may be used in carrying out my invention.

Referring to the drawing I have provided a shaft 1 carrying a shell 1 on which theroll of goods is carried. The shaft is provided with any suitable device to insure that-the goods being pulled off the roll will be taut. The goodspass from the shell 1 over two supporting rolls 2 and 5.. Between these supporting rolls there is a doctor or smear-on blade 4 in front of which is carried a body of plastic or paste 3 containing a solvent.

The goods thus treated pass into an evaporating chamber 6 in which the major portion of the solvent is evaporated and re- -covered. It is undersirable to evaporate the entire amount of solvent as the coated goods when leaving thesame pass to calendaring rolls .7, where it must be in a pliable condition. The o j t oi t e eal nd ri g ro ls 7 in the county of New fabric but on account, of the plying the coating in the form of a paste the constructed as to wind up the customary to obtain the pose of illustration, I shall describe only one is to give the coated fabric a uniform thickness and render the coating smooth. They need not be very large or heavy rolls as the plastic after coming from the drying chamber 1s properly coated and anchored to the method-of ap goods are somewhat too rough to emboss, and the rolls 7 are used plastic and give thesdesired uniformity of thickness. The rolls 7 may also be engraved so as to give an embossed pattern on the goods, thereby of gaging and embossing the goods. I- have also provided a winder 8 which may be so finished product and keep the tension on the goods through the entire train of the apparatus. 1

In preparing coated fabrics by the well known coating machine, which consists of a doctor blade and a drying device, it is desired thickness of coating byapplying a number of successlve'layersorcoatings and evaporating the solventafter each application. If a coating ofthe total thickness desired is applied at one time in order to reduce the number of operations the product is not satisfactory because of pin-holes that are formed when the solvent is evaporated. I avoid this difficulty by using a thicker, that is, pasty coating material and preferably pass t e coated material between calendar rolls efore all the solvent has been evaporated. The composition may be any suitable nitr solvents. It may also contain any suitable simply to smooth the serving the double purpose oil or pigment. This calendering operation reduces the coating to a uniform thickness and eliminates the pin-holes. Furthermore by my process the "coating is firmly anchored to the fabric because the coating material when applied contains suflicient solvent to enable it to penetrate the interstices of the fabric. a

While I have described my invention in detail I wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. The process of producing a coated fabric which comprises applying to a fabric a coating of a film-producing composition in t e term of. paste r naming a s lvent, than partially drying the coated fabric, and then before all the solvent has been evaporated subjecting the coated fabric to pressure to reduce the coating to the desired thickness. 2. The process of producing a coated fabric'which comprises applying to a fabric a coating of a film-producing composition in the form of paste containing a solvent, then partially drying the coated fabric and then before all the solvent has been evaporated subjectin the coated fabric to pressure between rofi the desired thickness.

3. The process of producing a coated fabs to reduce the coating to.

then before all the solvent is evaporated subjecting the coated fabric to pressure to reduce it to the desired thickness.

4. The process of producing a coated fabric which comprises applying to a fabric a coating containing nitrocellulose and a solvent in the form of a paste, partially evaporating the solvent, and then before all the solvent has been evaporated passing the .coated fabric between rolls to reduce it to the desired thickness.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I havehereunto set my hand.

CHARLES ELWOOD ARNOLD.

Witnesses:

H. W. MATI-I'ESON, v HAMILTON BRADSHAW. 

